The wave of industry successions has reached Sony Pictures Entertainment with longtime CEO Tony Vinciquerra stepping down. Kim Masters and Matt Belloni discuss the company’s refreshingly smooth transition of power and what to expect from the studio in 2025.
Smooth operation? In stark contrast to the Paramount saga and Bob Iger’s ongoing tenure as Disney’s CEO, Sony has smoothly passed the baton to COO Ravi Ahuja. The company’s current CEO, Tony Vinciquerra, joined the company in 2017 — seeing Sony through major ups and downs. Ahuja has run the television business side of the company and was prepared prior to the hand-off: “This has been a pretty drama-free transition,” says Belloni.
Potential shake-ups ahead? Sony, unlike competitors, did not jump on the streamer bandwagon. A key to their success was an output deal with Netflix which brought in revenue and relevance to their movies. Other deals Sony has been a part of include acquiring the Alamo Drafthouse movie theater chain and building out an anime business. “I keep hearing how glad they are that they don't have a streamer, because we're seeing the suffering of everybody else — except Netflix and Amazon,” says Masters. “But this replacement, Ravi Ahuja, he's a deal guy, so you wonder whether that's going to lead to more buying and selling.”
What about Tom? At almost 70 years old, current chairman and CEO of Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group Tom Rothman has been labeled as a strong businessman. From Ghostbusters, to Spider-Man villains — Rothman has been a steady force in the company. “‘Will Tom Rothman retire?’ [This] question has been going around for a couple years now,” says Belloni. “I think it will happen at some point.”